Not bad for a Californian Syrah. I mean, although its 14.5% its not hot. And while its as dark as a black cat in a coal mine (still) its not THAT over extracted. And while its certainly not blessed with anything resembling a Rhone Syrah in terms of flavor profile, its ok, tasty, in a new world sort of way. And its not one of the those horrid Ozzy Shiraaazzz monsters. Ugh. So all in all, easy to drink. Hints of tobacco, spice, dark berries and yes vanilla (all the new oak no doubt....) on the nose and palate. Its still balanced, and while no means light and lively (I wish), it swings across the tongue and down the gullet easily and very smoothly. I can understand why others rated it more highly, but I think its not quite there due to lack of depth and nuance.
It appears that there are still a lot of bottles in Cellar Tracker inventories - drink up folks. Its not over the hill but the tannins are pretty much resolved and I don't see it getting any better. The fruit will begin to fall off and the acids poke through. Its in a good spot right now so why push it?? Enjoy what it has to offer and move on.....
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Goodness! This was awesome and balanced and I wish I had bought more. currant and plum, yeah, with some leathery smoke, but not too much. Medium-heavy - PERFECT with the sirloin steak.
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Tried alone and with spicy beef chili. On the nose it's dark berry, maybe even black cherry, followed by a bit of spice and maybe vanilla? Taste is surprisingly restrained - not as smoky or heavy currants/plum that often dominate the Rosenblum syrahs. Finish is a little alcoholic and shorter than I would typically expect. Certainly this is not as chewy or robust as a Pickett or Fran's, but it's a decent value for the price ($20). For me this is too early to fairly rate. UPDATE: I am loving this on the second night (half bottle corked kept @57F for about 24h). Tried alone, and now enjoying with Petite Filet, rosemary potatoes, and local green beans with oregano and chili flakes. For various reasons this combo seems to agree well with this wine. The overnight has allowed mellowing on both the noise (similar to before, but has more chocolate and vanilla at the end). Taste is still a little hot, but shows a nice future for this one. Plum is more present and and slightly less alcoholic. I will probably buy at this price.
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11/20/2014 - CP wrote: 84 Points
This is over the hill, very vegetal at this point, hints of dark fruit not enough to provide balance. Drink them up.
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2/27/2013 - UpfromtheCellar wrote: 89 Points
Not bad for a Californian Syrah. I mean, although its 14.5% its not hot. And while its as dark as a black cat in a coal mine (still) its not THAT over extracted. And while its certainly not blessed with anything resembling a Rhone Syrah in terms of flavor profile, its ok, tasty, in a new world sort of way. And its not one of the those horrid Ozzy Shiraaazzz monsters. Ugh. So all in all, easy to drink. Hints of tobacco, spice, dark berries and yes vanilla (all the new oak no doubt....) on the nose and palate. Its still balanced, and while no means light and lively (I wish), it swings across the tongue and down the gullet easily and very smoothly. I can understand why others rated it more highly, but I think its not quite there due to lack of depth and nuance.
It appears that there are still a lot of bottles in Cellar Tracker inventories - drink up folks. Its not over the hill but the tannins are pretty much resolved and I don't see it getting any better. The fruit will begin to fall off and the acids poke through. Its in a good spot right now so why push it?? Enjoy what it has to offer and move on.....
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8/26/2012 - tcarter Likes this wine: 92 Points
Fantastic with BBQ.
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3/26/2011 - tdcd@comcast.net wrote: 84 Points
Nothing to write home about
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7/9/2010 - Harneloot wrote: 90 Points
must agree with previous rater (alandf), though it may have lost a point or so over the last 6 months....
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12/20/2009 - alandf wrote: 92 Points
Currant and smoke. Better with steak than red sauce pasta.
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10/15/2009 - cmr wrote: 89 Points
A tad on the tannic side and not sure it will improve greatly with some more age. Other then that your typical fruit forward Rosenblum.
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9/11/2009 - gcubanl wrote: 92 Points
Very goof with spicy fried chicken
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7/19/2009 - alandf wrote: 93 Points
Goodness! This was awesome and balanced and I wish I had bought more. currant and plum, yeah, with some leathery smoke, but not too much. Medium-heavy - PERFECT with the sirloin steak.
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9/11/2008 - Caring_Bear wrote:
Tried alone and with spicy beef chili. On the nose it's dark berry, maybe even black cherry, followed by a bit of spice and maybe vanilla? Taste is surprisingly restrained - not as smoky or heavy currants/plum that often dominate the Rosenblum syrahs. Finish is a little alcoholic and shorter than I would typically expect. Certainly this is not as chewy or robust as a Pickett or Fran's, but it's a decent value for the price ($20). For me this is too early to fairly rate. UPDATE:
I am loving this on the second night (half bottle corked kept @57F for about 24h). Tried alone, and now enjoying with Petite Filet, rosemary potatoes, and local green beans with oregano and chili flakes. For various reasons this combo seems to agree well with this wine. The overnight has allowed mellowing on both the noise (similar to before, but has more chocolate and vanilla at the end). Taste is still a little hot, but shows a nice future for this one. Plum is more present and and slightly less alcoholic. I will probably buy at this price.
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